[2] The tournament wouldn't see its most successful club in 5-time champion, BYU, who were beginning their first season in the Premier Development League.
Meanwhile, Utah Valley State would narrowly advance to knockout round on goal difference following a 2–1 win over Virginia and a 2–3 loss to Texas A&M.
[4] In the knockout round, both teams would require extra time in their round of 16 matchups with Illinois scoring a golden goal in overtime following a 0–0 draw in regulation over Clemson and Utah Valley State winning in penalties over Mississippi State following a 1–1 draw in regulation and overtime.
[5] In the finals, Illinois would defeat Utah Valley State 2–0 and senior, Tyson Masar would be named tournament MVP.
While the backup goalie never entered the field, his presence on the official roster brought Illinois over the maximum allowable ex-NCAA player limit of 3.
In the semifinals, UC-Santa Barbara would beat 2000 championship division winners and reigning open finalists Penn State in penalties following a scoreless game to reach their first finals while JMU would defeat Vanderbilt 2–1.
Following this, Arizona would defeat Vermont 3–0 while Kansas would beat Alabama 8–0, ensuring both teams would advance to the knockout stage with the finale determining seeding.
In the semifinals, Kansas would defeat UCLA 1–0 while Arizona beat 2001 open champions Colorado "Black" 3–1.
Each division engaged in a round-robin tournament that determined teams able to advance to a knockout stage.
Pool play games were two 40-minute halves, separated by a seven-minute halftime and utilized the three points for a win system.
The final bids for each division were considered "at-large", and were given out by NIRSA to teams, typically based on their regional tournament results and RPI.
The remaining teams participated in the open division, chosen on a first-come first-serve basis via online registration beginning on September 2, 2003.